The center pin wobble is normal for the A7, but I've never had any problem with that. (and I use them on mechanicals) The pin would have to be extended out a long ways before it could touch the ground. (or a mod pin that pushes it to the side) I believe there would have to be something wrong with the center pin of the mod before you would have to worry about one shorting out.

The real trick to setting them up is making sure that the coil is properly placed over the air flow. If the coil is to low, the air flow will only get the center wraps of the coil, and you will get an uneven temperature across the coil.

Because you use thin wire for the coil, rewicking is not a good option, so I use silica string for wicks.
A 6/7 wrap of 30ga around 3 strands of 0.8mm silica string gives me a 1.8 ohm coil. I use a paperclip to wrap my coils which insures that I don't wrap the coil to tight. (which would choke off the wicks)
A 1.8-2 ohm coil in the 3.7-4.1v range is where the A7 will produce the best flavor. (it will make you use less flavoring in your formulas) Flavors like green apple I use 1 drop/2ml of 50/50 mix @ 12mg. Flavors like hazelnut I use 1 drop/1ml.]]>Older Folks and Vaping Front Porch - Part ThreeThu, 18 Dec 2014 00:31:17 +0000https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/older-folks-and-vaping-front-porch-part-three.6996/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/older-folks-and-vaping-front-porch-part-three.6996/DancingHeretikDancingHeretik

PapaSloth;14829349 said:

Wolfenstark;14828955 said:

Currently at dual build 1Ω I'm finding 30-35 watts is vapeable but strong. They have 8 wraps and Im wondering if the coils are quickly vaping the cotton they are directly in contact with and then it gets harsh and it takes time for the liquid to get into the part of the cotton that was just vaporised by the coils.

On another one single at 1.5Ω and 14 watts I can keep on vaping and it doesn't get stronger like the cotton is getting dry it keeps going.

So your 45-58 watts at 4 wraps has me thinking - Is that just the way it goes when using higher wattage , are you with that set-up able to vape many times or do you need a break to let the liquid in the wick get into where the coils have vaporised it ?

Click to expand...

It all has to do with how hot the coils and wicks get. This partly depends on the wattage, but also depends on how the power is spread over the wicks, how the airflow moves around the coils to keep them cool, and how much juice is in the wicks. When you heat juice past its boiling point, the power is carried away from the coils in the form of steam until all of the juice has boiled off.

Airflow depends on the physical air channels in your atty, the positioning of your coils, and how you vape (mouth hitters move less air past the coils, so they'd use a tighter draw at lower wattage. Lung hitters suck a lot of air past the coils, so they'd use more air with a more open draw at higher wattage).

Juice flow depends on the construction of your atty. For Kayfun-style attys, it depends on how deep the juice channels are, how big the bubble is in the tank, and how hard you draw when you vape. It also depends on the position you hold the atty in, and the thickness of your juice. Then, there are the wicks themselves, and how they carry juice to the coils. Fatter wicks carry and hold more juice, but can also get choked if the coil is too tight. No juice is drawn into the evaporation chamber when you're not actually taking a puff. The juice that's already in there might equalize in the wick somewhat, but to draw more juice in, you have to take a puff. So, if you can't chain vape three or four puffs without the juice starting to taste burnt, it means your wattage is too high for what your atty and build are capable of providing. Some people take priming puffs to deal with that, but the only real fix is to deepen your juice channels, change your vaping style, or to buy a different atty.

Finally, there's how the coils spread heat over the wick. That depends on how much wire you're using, the gauge of the wire, whether you have a contact coil or a spaced coil, and the diameter of the coil. Contact micro and nano coils use a small amount of wire to concentrate heat into a small area of wick, while multi-strand twisted, spaced, macro coils spread the heat over more area. Single coils concentrate heat into one area while two or more coils spread the heat over more areas.

All of the above factors determine how much wattage you can use to vape before the juice starts tasting harsh or burnt. Some of them can be affected by your build, but many of them are determined by the construction of your atty. The Big Buddha was designed to support more power with deeper juice channels, a dual build deck, and a much more open draw than most Kayfun-style attys, so it's a good match for what I'm looking for in terms of my vaping style. If someone who takes mouth hits picked it up and tried it, it probably wouldn't work at all for them. The draw would be way too open, the coils would take too long to heat up, and the juice would start to taste scorched almost immediately (not enough air flowing past the coils). On the other hand, I had an opportunity to try out someone elses Taifun GT, and I could tell immediately that it was perfect for someone who takes mouth hits, but it was a total fail for someone who takes lung hits.

When I vape, I get a pretty massive hit of vapor, and I can take two or three puffs before I have to put the atty down for a while. This is not because the wicks are dry or the flavor starts to taste harsh, it's because I've just gotten a massive hit of nicotine and I'm done for a few minutes, at least. Every time I take a puff, I get a little bubble of air coming out of the evaporation chamber, so it seems like I could usually chain puff if I wanted to. But, I'd probably keel over from having too much nicotine if I tried.

Having taught USAF High Reliability Soldering based on NASA curriculum standards, I’d like to share some critical soldering guidelines for ya'll. It's not rocket science; just a lil' physics, common sense and 'touch' (more on that in a bit).

BTW, there was a study that determined that there was, on average, 200 lbs of excess solder on a typical B-52 at the time. Ergo, the soldering course!

Here we go:

- Use 60Sn40Pb rosin-core solder (most common). 63Sn40Pb is ideal due to no plasticity stage, but hard to find locally and not cheap.
- Only use rosin flux for electronics.
- Prep all wires and the soldering tip by using a rosin paste flux and a small amount of solder.
- Dip tip in flux, apply solder, then thermal shock the tip by lightly wiping tip on a water dampened sponge or cotton cloth. This will ‘blow off’/shed tip contaminates.
- Apply a small amount of solder twix the fluxed lead(s) and the tip to build a heat transfer bridge.
- When solder flows, move the solder away from the lead tip to within 1-1½ lead diameter of the stripped wire insulation. Minimal solder with 100% coverage = 'touch'.
- Remove all flux residue from the lead(s)/connection with Denatured Alcohol (DA) using a lint free cloth/wipe. DA does not leave a residue. Rubbing alcohol will suffice, but can leave a slight haze.
- When attaching tinned leads to a circuit board/component, repeat the above steps.
- Add solder to the soldering tip while it’s resting. This minimizes oxidation/erosion of the tip. When you’re finished soldering, just let the blob harden as the tip cools. You will re-prep the tip prior to your next project.

For de-soldering (i.e. circuit boards, speaker lugs), use de-soldering wick to remove old solder. Remember to flux the wicking prior to applying the prepped soldering tip. Also remember to clean the contact point(s) to remove the flux residue. In an emergency de-soldering situation, if ya don't have any de-soldering (wicking) braid, pull some ol' braided shielding off a coax cable (guitar/speaker/TV), stretch it taunt, flux it and suck 'er up.

Do not abrade/scrape the soldering tip to remove solder. You'll be shortening it's life and doing more harm than good.

Do not cut your solder. Use your soldering iron/gun. This seals the solder and prevents rosin 'weeping' and evaporation.

In high vibration and/or stress environments, take extreme care in stripping the insulation. Any nicks that scrape strands and/or removes pre-tinning can be a 'weak link' and a possible failure point.

NEVER reapply heat to a joint without following the steps above. Failing to do so is a common cause for a cold and hazy solder joint. All proper joints should be shiny when using 60/40 solder.

Use an appropriate wattage iron/gun for the job. For cabling, you can use higher wattagse. If you use a very low wattage iron on cabling, you may not have enough heat to melt the solder before contamination occurs, especially for grounding braids. For circuit boards and small leads, use a low wattage iron. The larger ones can, and will fry smaller components.

I have 15W, 25W, 40W irons, a dual 100/140 wattage gun, plus a resistive temp control station. The 25W iron is my go-to for 90% of my soldering. A 15W iron should be just right for your mod circuit board assemblies.

Assuming you follow the guidelines, timing (aka 'touch') is the 'holy grail' if 'saddled' with just one iron. Just establish a good heat bridge and watch for clean solder flow.

I just rewired two mics that had 24 gauge wires (re very small). Had to use the 15 watt pencil iron to prevent insulation burn off.

For circuit board connections, follow the same basic steps outlined above. When de-soldering a circuit board pad that has a hole for component mounting, don't forget to wick both sides of the board.

In critical heat sensitive areas, you can use clip-on heat sinks to protect adjacent micro-circuitry.

In the absence of good ventilation, aim a fan to blow over, not on, your work to remove fumes/smoke.Do not blow on molten solder! That's another common way to get a cold solder joint. The solder must cool at its own rate for the best connection and maximum integrity.Cleanliness and proper heat transfer using minimal solder is the key for the best connection! It’s all in the physics, preparations, cleanup and ‘touch’.

Hopefully these guidelines will lead you to zero resistance and reliable connections.

From Nhaler:http://shop.nhaler.com/Colored and Twisted Drip Tips]]>Links to Keep Handy for SharingWed, 22 Jan 2014 19:55:10 +0000https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/links-to-keep-handy-for-sharing.5613/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/links-to-keep-handy-for-sharing.5613/DancingHeretikDancingHeretikProper terminology - Is it a carto, a tank, or what? A Guide to Juice AttachmentsA Good Starter's Setup for a Beginning VaporSpinner/Twist_Ego VV Tank Combo]]>What if vaping is actually GOOD for your lungs?????Tue, 24 Sep 2013 06:24:21 +0000https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/what-if-vaping-is-actually-good-for-your-lungs.4998/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/what-if-vaping-is-actually-good-for-your-lungs.4998/DancingHeretikDancingHeretik

H. Hodges;10781942 said:

CommaHolly;10780749 said:

bear with me,,,,,,

PG is mildly antibiotic,,,,,,

so what if they eventually discover that for those who have previously smoked, vaping actually HEALS the lungs FASTER than not vaping?????

IDK, I guess I'm just talking out some thoughts in my head,,,,,,,,,but I know I've quit smoking several times in my life previous to quitting while vaping,,,,,,once for 7 years, completely cold turkey,,,,,,it was HELL, and it took more than a year to actually FEEL GOOD.

When I quit with vaping, I felt really good within months,,,,,,,

it really just makes me wonder,,,,,,,,,

thoughts? or am I just losing my mind,,,,,,,,

Click to expand...

I originally posted this in the "Vaping and health risks" thread, but it applies here also:

"OK, here's one that you don't have yet:

(1) Nicotine is a medically known, and scientifically studied/proven, bronchial dilator. It opens the bronchi passages in the lungs.
(2) As we already know, PG (if tolerated) is a natural germicide without known ill effects.
(3) VG and distilled water create a humid (moist) environment considered healthy for normal lung function. For example; using a humidifier when you have a cold to loosen chest congestion.

The combination of the three: Opens the lungs, kills the germs, and clears the lungs for a healthier lung environment. This is why most people experience pronounced coughing when they first start vaping, as opposed to smoking, as the body clears the accumulated sludge from the bronchi. Each of these points are proven in their individual studies. However, the affects of a combined/combination of the elements has not as yet been clinically studied to the point of conclusion. Hence the FDA's ability to provide false and misleading information to the ill-informed masses for political/financial governmental gain, instead of public health initiatives for the betterment of the populous as a whole."

I was wondering if at any point in time the presentations might have included a statement along the lines of...

The FDA should carefully consider the impact that upcoming regulations will have on electronic cigarette consumers. These are people who for the most part are tired of being pushed around when they were smokers, and now they have found a product that has allowed them to break free from their past bondage. A product that many, if not most, feel has literally saved their lives. It is quite possible, if not likely, that any regulations that restrict the products that are currently being offered to the electronic cigarette community will cause an enormous backlash.

Of course I have more DIY equipment , but the list is what I actually use98% of the time.

I mix 100ml of base (nic/PG/VG) and put that into a 120ml bottle that has a flip turret top cap. I use 5ml or 7ml bottles for test samples. Most of my mixes are 30ml, sometimes 60ml. Note that I do not use needles, pipettes or funnels; no need fer 'em.

I have no fear of needles, but they're just too fussy. Therefore I use syringes sans needles for flav mixing:

It is my understanding that TSNAs in non-fire-cured tobacco is from fermentation, not oxidation. Oxidation is reaction with O2. In order to make nitrosamines, nitrogen oxide must be introduced, not just O2. Fire-curing does this too. Increase in snus TSNAs is probably from open-air bacteria starting to eat the tobacco. With just reaction with O2, free-base nicotine should not turn into TNSAs, just nicotine-oxides, which are not considered harmful.

Not particularly worried about it with swedish snus. Increase of 130% of already very low TNSAs is still very low. This was after 6 months, but at room temp, not freezer or fridge. At room temp, however, there is very little nic left in the snus, especially if has been opened.

I have not seen any studies that show that normal oxidation of nicotine liquids produces TSNAs, nor is the FDA evidently concerned about this. If this was a concern, they would have been all over it, and yelling from the rooftops. They did find trace TSNAs in e-liquid, but the levels were too low to quantitate, and the results were very similar to the TSNA levels in NRT gums, patches and lozenges. In the extraction process to purify nicotine, it is generally impossible to remove all the TSNAs. AEMSA does state a minimum TSNA level as being allowed, like NRTs, and it is not zero.

Most of the oxidation produces nicotine-N-oxide, which as I said is not considered harmful, and is not considered carcinogenic. Oxides do tend to have a funky taste and smell, however. And it takes only trace amounts to yellow an unflavored liquid. I personally am not particularly worried about slight oxidation, and actually I have had some clearly oxidized nics that were quite pleasant to vape. They tend to add tobacco-like notes to a liquid. I suppose that if the air-level in your environment while the bottle is being used (not sealed in the freezer) is rich in nitrogen oxide (NO), then there might be some TSNAs being produced, but I tend to think that is going to be slight. I use eurodroppers in all my dispensing bottles of unflavored nic, and the air exchange through them is pretty low.

All of my VG-nics are virtually unchanged after freezer storage, some for almost 3.5 years. Some of my PG-nics also remained unchanged after a year. Some did oxidize. PG is much more mobile at freezer temps than VG, so more likely for a nic molecule to find an O2 molecule. What caused the oxidation of some of the PG-nic? Not sure. Might be it was a lower grade nicotine in the first place, and contained other tobacco compounds, which did the majority of oxidation. Could be the PG used to make it had more O2 dissolved in it. Not sure, didn't analyze it. I will say that that PG-nic was Totally Wicked 36 mg PG Red Label, and it became orange-yellow after a year. Flavor had a distinct tobacco taste, actually quite nice! I cannot vape PG, so I gave that away, and the person who got it really likes that flavor! The other PG nics I had did not oxidize significantly in the freezer, and I would expect that to be the norm. They were Decadent Vapor, ECX, Box Elder and RTS, all of which are very pure nic in USP PG.

Thanks for posting the link to my storage method, Salem! In it are links to all the bottles and other items I use. Freezer temps do not cause nic-liquid to expand. However, you should leave a couple mL headroom anyway. Not from freezer expansion. I had one bottle of 100 mg VG that was filled to the rim for storage while my kitchen was pretty chilly in the winter. When I took that bottle out into my hot office on a summer day, that liquid expanded, and leaked out from under the euro insert! Oops! Not making that mistake again!

For those wondering if I am now stocking for a possible doomsday, a reminder that in January of 2010 there was the scary court case between NJoy and SmokingEverywhere vs the FDA. Our access to all things vaping has been under some threat since day 1, so stocking became mandatory for me pretty much since the beginning. Buying good nic when it is on sale and storing it in the freezer solves that issue for the foreseeable future.

Hardware is a bit of a different issue. Li-ion batteries do not last forever, even if not used. They store for a good long time in a fridge (not freezer). Cylinder-shape Li-ion batteries are used in countless electronic gadgets, however, and will always be available. So it might be wise to get some cheap 18650 tube mods ($20-$25). They usually last about 6 months of heavy use...it is the switch that usually gives out after a while. Box mods are also cheap and work quite well. One can buy kits to build them from MadVapes, if you are so inclined. The parts, perhaps other than the atty connector, will never be illegal. Rebuildable attys are also available, although I have not explored them. Back when I was exclusively a 510 guy, I bought a bunch of XL 510 batts and attys when they went on sale. Attys will not corrode over time, in general, and my 510 batts in the fridge, from 2009, not only still charge fine, they kept their charge for the most part. L-ion batts should be stored at least 2/3 charged for better life.

Cartomizers can be reused after a boiling-water bath. Basically put in water, boil for 15 minutes, drain, repeat this 5 or 6 times, then I oven dry them at 250 degrees. They come out almost new. For attys, I get several cycles by soaking 12 hours in polydent solution, and then rinsing thoroughly with hot water and drying. I never clean with alcohols...high atty death rate in my experience. I vape either unflavored or low-flavor light-colored juices. Easiest on attys and cartos. Carto-tanks tend to be the easiest on cartos, since they always stay wet and thus unburned by the coil. Getting cartos after a ban might be challenging, however.

Freezing flavored juices is probably ok, but I do not do this. I make fresh enough for a couple weeks, then make more. Mainly because I have found most flavors over time fade into less pleasant vaping. Tobacco flavors tend to be the opposite...they get better with time, maybe because of oxidation of the nic and other tobacco flavor compounds! Flavors will never be illegal, probably including tobacco flavors. I am fine with vaping good quality unflavored nic, however, so that is not much of an issue with me if there is a ban.

That pretty much sums it up! Figured I should jump in since I was quoted so much.